Bill Tieleman is one of BC's best known communicators, political commentators and strategists.
Bill writes a politics column Tuesdays in 24 Hours newspaper and The Tyee online magazine.
Bill has been Communications Director in the B.C. Premier's Office and at the BC Federation of Labour.
Bill owns West Star Communications, a consulting firm providing strategy and communication services for labour, business, non-profits and government.

27 comments:

lets talk about NDP and Liberal expenses that having them run for cover... Scary when you think both political partys transparency is rotten to the core. And we have to vote for the conservatives and the god squad? A pox on all their houses.

It is admirable of John Horgan, to admit the mistake and apologize for it.

Have any of the Campbell/Clark BC Liberals, or Harper and his Conservatives apologized, for what they have done? All of them are far too arrogant, to do so.

Kevin Falcon had the gall to blame the BC citizens, for the BC Liberals lack of money. Falcon said, the money went to Harper, to pay back the BC HST, we were cheated out of in the first place. We are still paying the HST, when we shop. We also noticed, Falcon said nothing about the BC Liberals, obscene expense accounts either.

I first heard about it on Laila Yuille's blog & I couldn't stop laughing. Talk about desperate. I would suspect she is trying, once again to appeal to the religious right in the fraser valley. It won't work.

First of all there isn't anything chrisian about christie & her lieberals. You see christians have this thing called the 10 commandments. Most other major religions have something along the same line. The lieberals have broken about all of them.

there is nothing in the bible about running a government which won't provide for children or provide adequate health care. If the bitch had any christian beliefs she would be running the government in a whole different matter.

As it is churchs are doing the work government should be doing, hello First United, Union gospel mission & a host of others.

Anyone who would be part of a government which has had the highest child poverty rate in Canada for 8 consecutive yrs, & then spends over 5K on meals in two high end resturants in Vancouver isn't a Christian. She isn't any religion at all except the religion of christie.

I'm also still waiting to hear a statement from the premier(in waiting?) about the 60 yr.old Kinder Morgan pipeline already covertly shipping bitumen(dilbit)through the Lower Mainland, unbeknownst to most people. This old pipeline passes through a heavily populated Fraser Valley, it passes through waterways,drinking water - aquifers, backyards and near schools and even through a schoolyard. Kalamazoo 2 ? Surely our municipal councilors and MLA's had a duty to alert their citizens to this change in heavy sediment substance being pressured through an old line,right?There's a pot(of tar sands oil) on the back burner here, Mr. Dix that is about to boil over! It might be prudent to address this concern.

Each new issue requires another virgin-rebirth from BC's Madonna of Hype . . . in her pathetic and endless attempts to deal with, and ultimately avoid any real leadership role.

From Hockey-Whore-Mom to Law & Order Mama, from phony eco-Mother to now just simply the brain-dead church lady of SNL fame . . . its just Christy playing the same failed B movie roles she has played since 1993.

Christie was advised to hire Harper's staff to help her win in BC. This is their election strategy based on Harper's years in power and his years of experience with such radical right groups as the Northern Foundation, anti-apartheid and Heritage Front groups.

The strategy is simple; play to religious fundamentalists/nationalists of all stripes - except Muslims. Muslims are the target along with environmentalists, scientists, union members, and everyone in the center or left of center.

Big business and small are already in the bag.

Go big with tax cuts to the rich, "energy" projects, war and "national pride" and to hell with everything else.

Oh, yeah, election fraud and vote suppression work well in key ridings.

That's the Harper strategy -- nationalism, big business, racism and demonize everyone who is not a key supporter -- does that remind you of any of political movement of say the 1930s and the US style politics of the 'republican' variety?

Well that's what we have in Canada and that's the song book the right is singing from.

If you can't win on principle, then go big with bribes, coercion and election fraud.

"Christie was advised to hire Harper's staff to help her win in BC. This is their election strategy based on Harper's years in power and his years of experience with such radical right groups as the Northern Foundation, anti-apartheid and Heritage Front groups."

Horsecrap. The people who Christy hired were not "imports" in such that they were sent to help her.

Heritage Front is not involved with the Conservatives. The poster has gotten into the model airplane glue.

"The strategy is simple; play to religious fundamentalists/nationalists of all stripes - except Muslims. Muslims are the target along with environmentalists, scientists, union members, and everyone in the center or left of center. "

More junk. The genius who wrote the above should show his face or go on CKNW. It would be entertainment. More so than the entertainment Bill brings to 24 hours each week.

"Big business and small are already in the bag.

Go big with tax cuts to the rich, "energy" projects, war and "national pride" and to hell with everything else.

Oh, yeah, election fraud and vote suppression work well in key ridings."

There has never been any vote suppression in BC, ever.

That's the Harper strategy -- nationalism, big business, racism and demonize everyone who is not a key supporter -- does that remind you of any of political movement of say the 1930s and the US style politics of the 'republican' variety?

It reminds me of the kooks that go to blogs because they have too much time on their hands.

"Well that's what we have in Canada and that's the song book the right is singing from. "

Yeah right.

If you can't win on principle, then go big with bribes, coercion and election fraud.

Go do what this guy does and come up with idotic claims that puts the left wing to shame. I thought the VanderZalm-Tieleman scenes were worth a prize, but this previous poster takes the prize in idioticy and ignorance. Needs to learn a few fundamentals.

I almost fell off my chair when Ms Clark said she was pleased about the framing of the first question put to her about BC's history and the railroad. How could she keep a straight face given the smell of scandal around BC Rail?Secondly, I know she is catholic but I didn't think she ws an evangelical one. To goon this show demonstrates she is trying to appeal to the Conservative vote. However, given the Chilliwack by-election....

For a summary of Harper, the Northern Foundation, Nazis and the anti-apartheid movement in Canada see, for example, http://pushedleft.blogspot.ca/2009/09/stephen-harper-northern-foundation-and_19.html .

Harrison's book is good reading too. Even the corporate news media like the Ottawa Citizen and MacLeans have some good reporting and commentary. Of course, no one in polite company mentions fascism.

In any case, I thought it was well known to everyone that Nazis like the Heritage Front Wolfgang Droege were employed by the Reform Party (or aren't they conservatives), and he and Paul Fromm were involved in various ways with Harper's Northern Foundation.

Anon goes on "Horsecrap. The people who Christy hired were not "imports" in such that they were sent to help her." What does that mean? Christie has hired several of Harper's workers. Just check this blog. I'm sure there are several reports of the mess they have made.

Check with Elizabeth May on election fraud on the islands from 2006 and on...

On Muslims as the new target, Google Harper on Islam and what he called the Islamacization of terror. Harper set up a special committee on anti-semitism but not on Islamophobia -- guess why.

And oh, yeah, you can check all the statements in my post above and you will find sold evidence for each statement.

In fact, when Harper was done with the Northern Foundation that he helped set up and run, he tried to separate himself from it, saying the members (and speakers) were too extreme!!! I guess the Nazis in the Reform Party were too. Then of course there was CRAP and now simply the Cons.

Finally I notice that Anon does not even attempt to address the charges and investigations of the Cons for vote suppression and election fraud elsewhere in Canada.

We are supposed to be a secular state and this is starting to cross that boundary. Harper is an Evangelical Christian and could easily make this happen. His contempt for everything Canadian makes it all that more plausable too. In my opinion; Clark is merely a political Puppet/ Straw man.

"Anon goes on "Horsecrap. The people who Christy hired were not "imports" in such that they were sent to help her." What does that mean? Christie has hired several of Harper's workers. Just check this blog. I'm sure there are several reports of the mess they have made."

Hiring ex harper workers does not mean at any time Harper's Office endorsed such a move. In fact if Alan had checked his backgrounds he would have noticed that. It would be interesting to see how he would square imports from the Manitoba NDP to the BC NDP when that happened.

A bit of a stretch to link Nazis to Harper. As for his remarks it was directed towards Islamic terrorists not the Islamic community as a whole. The remarks are a about a year old.

As for the current investigation, why comment to someone who has already in his mind made up his opinion. it has not been directly 100% traced back to the government nor party as a whole, but rather the stupidity of a few people in about 5 ridings out of 300 or so.

Alan, people can still vote if they so wish. No one and I mean no one is ever physically stopping them from voting. They can go and vote if they so wish.

and Alan in regards to the CRAP party and Reform, that was almost 10 years ago. Try to catch up with the times.

and I would stop the "Nazis in the Reform Party" garbage. Unless you can explicity state who exactly is a current member of the neo-Nazi groups in Canada that are also Conservatives. Care to also balance that out by telling us who within the NDP is also a member of the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Lennist)?? I guess not.

"We are supposed to be a secular state and this is starting to cross that boundary. Harper is an Evangelical Christian and could easily make this happen."

No he couldn't. There are far morepeople in the Conservative Party who are NOT Evangelical/Fundamentist Christians than there are those who are. The Conservatives had that battle a few years ago, and the Fundamentalists lost.

His contempt for everything Canadian makes it all that more plausable too. In my opinion; Clark is merely a political Puppet/ Straw man.

That's exactly what we have here, an opinion, which is perfectly okay, but one that I wouldn't figure to be worthy of consideration for much of anythingexcept entertainment.

I left this place months ago after being accused of being the troll. I think that my absence has proven my point. Trolling takes the fun out of this and other blogs. Something, Mr. Tielman, I did NOT do. Check my i.p. address. You have trolls. Not me. Thanks.

Anon - or whoever you want to be - Christie is following Harper and using his people. There's no question about that. I have no idea what the reference to the NDP in Sask/Man/Ont/Quebec or anywhere else has to do with Clark following Harper's strategy.

There are not 5 ridings in dispute for election fraud and vote suppression. I believe 7 are before the courts. Del Mastro and brother may be coming on charges soon. There are another 5-6 that there are questions about. An economist at SFU recently published a statistical analysis of other anomalies. Check it out. You seem terribly misinformed. The Ottawa Citzen just some great reports on Del Mastro and Court and the court cases.

On Nazis, check the references. The names and dates and meetings are there for you to read.

On the evangelical connection read Marci MacDonald.

On strategy and nonsense from the right read Tom Flanagan who called for the assassination of Julian Assange. BTW Flaangan was advisor to Harper for years and wasn't he on his MA committee. Great pair. Check out Harper's team. Just a great bunch.

On the election fraud (again), it was a strategy not an accident. The 2006 election charges were against the party too. The deleted records in the CMIS database are going to hurt the top advisors -- its going to be hard to argue that the deleted records in the database and backup servers were done by juniors. The records of calls will also come back to haunt the election team central.

Problem is that Harper appointed the new head of Elections Canada after things got hot and the last one resigned -- sort of like our GG who mistakenly went along with our Supreme Leader proroguing Parliament (after he was already found in contempt).

A small minority of Canadians elected this fool and we are stuck with him and his crowd for a few more years. The cost to Canada is immeasurable.

Its time for a change (and its time, my friend, for you to stop apologizing for this guy and start doing some research.)

Finally -- Since when did years of involvement with Nazis have an expiry date???? But forget the Nazis for a while, think about the fascist orientation -- now that should shake your tree. Its the fascist orientation you need to understand to see what's at risk.

I'm writing this for other readers. Anon states that: "So as of 9 May 1945 the Nazies expired." Anon can't be reading anything about the Nazi rallies in Calgary or seen the pictures of the shooter (or one of) at the Sikh temple in the USA last weekend. Yes, my friend, Nazis are a live and well and the movement is growing by feeding on the continuing economic crisis and political instability. In Canada, we have a live movement with several people facing jail.

"But Julian Assange is old news." No, again. His remarks speaks to the character of the man and the character of Harper. TF is still a campaign manager for Conservative parties in Canada.

Harper won by a very slim majority in a number of ridings with the help of election fraud and vote suppression. Some of the riding results are before the courts, others will likely follow as will the missing CMIS records.

Anon, conveniently dismisses problems for the Cons by repeating the mantra that its old news (yesterday's news, two years ago or several. what does it matter unless your an idiot. History matters whether its 24 hrs or 2 years.)

The old Nazis from the atrocities of WWII, Anon, are still being prosecuted. Go tell the victims and their families "its old news". Go tell the victims in Norway and the USA that its "old News."

Anyway, research matters as does history. Anon should learn both before writing nonsense.

"But Julian Assange is old news"Nope, but the poster stating this is.The German Nazi Party may be gone, but Nazi idealism is not. See Wisconsin Sikh Temples.NOT old news.As far as Harper is concerned. Knowing many Harperitespersonally, I find them blindly uberChristian, racist and in most cases, homophobic, and uninformed about todays issues. Perhaps that might be because they were indoctrined by their parents, and get their news from dubious sources. I am glad that he's losing his popularity big time. Too much of a control freak for me.

"The German Nazi Party may be gone, but Nazi idealism is not. See Wisconsin Sikh Temples.NOT old news."

No it isn't and sadly neither is the ignorance of a few who are supposedly Christian but do not tolerate the beliefs of others such as those ignorant neo-Nazi types.

As far as Harper is concerned. Knowing many Harperitespersonally, I find them blindly uberChristian, racist and in most cases, homophobic, and uninformed about todays issues.

Horsecrap, Alan. There's going to be idiots in any political party, and the Conervatives are quite moderate now compared to the right wing elements of the old Reform Party. You're not using your peripheral vision and are quite narrow in scope. Widen your visual range.

Perhaps that might be because they were indoctrined by their parents, and get their news from dubious sources.

and the same isn't true for NDPers and Liberals?? I've known some NDPers who stick close to the 1930's doctrine that all employers are bad people and the only good people in the company are the shop stewards and I've met a few NDPers who absolutely hate successful people in business.

I am glad that he's losing his popularity big time. Too much of a control freak for me.

This is just over a year out from the last election. He's quite popular in British Columbia. More so than you care to accept.

He is a bit over the top on control, yes, but take a look at the federal Liberals. Would you want a directionless party running the country?

Anyway your ignorance is a bit much. Find those neo-Bazies and fink on 'em. The U.S. would be very grateful if you could smoke out all of those under the rock crawlers and send then someplace where they need a lesson in tolerance.

Bill Tieleman and Senator Larry Campbell, former Vancouver mayor

Jim Sinclair, Cindy Oliver, Ken Georgetti and Bill Tieleman

Bill Tieleman's coverage of the Basi-Virk/BC Legislature Raid Case praised by other journalists:

"This outstanding piece of journalism, in The Tyee, is the work of a journalist who has been deeply involved with this issue from the start and this article should be passed on as far and wide as possible."

"Bill Tieleman from 24 hours . . . . If you want to know about this trial and about this case, you have to read his blog – I mean, that’s just all there is to it – it’s required reading if you want to understand the BC Legislature Raid situation."

- Mike Smyth, columnist, The Province

"The Basi-Virk case....you’ve probably sat through more of these hearings and gone through more of the files and written about it than any other journalist in the province."

- Bill Good, host, The Bill Good Show, CKNW/Corus Radio Network

"Tieleman ...has done a first-rate job covering the trial."

- Paul Willcocks, columnist, the Victoria Times-Colonist

"Tieleman, who marries a considerable journalistic talent with one of the smartest political minds in the province, has been writing more web-exclusive material. And his coverage of the Basi-Virk trial is a must-read -- whether you're an insider or an outsider."

"24 Hours, the Vancouver paper that has been leading the coverage, as well as the hints of conspiracy in B.C."

- Norman Spector, columnist, Globe and Mail

"Although the major media in this circumstance has been giving the case significant coverage, Tieleman's reports on his blog have been outstanding.

The entire cut and thrust of legal wrangling and arguments has been covered and is accompanied by considered analysis.....His blog site coverage of the Basi-Virk trial is the most in depth treatment of one of British Columbia's biggest political scandals."

- Bill Bell, columnist, The North Shore News

"Mr. Tieleman has published online dispatches which, freed from the limitations of newsprint space or broadcast time, can run at length. They also remain available for those select readers who become obsessed with a case also known as Railgate.....

In another bizarre twist to a story with no shortage of them, Mr. Tieleman went to work one day in December only to discover his office had been ransacked. Bookcases had been tipped over and papers strewn, but nothing was missing.

To top it off, a press kit for the self-published novel The Raid, written by a retired military officer in Metchosin and featuring on its cover a photograph from the 2003 police raid, had been left in a conspicuous place."

- Tom Hawthorn, columnist, The Globe and Mail

Nobody has followed the Basi-Virk affair over its past five years with greater diligence than local journalist, Bill Tieleman....Tieleman deserves our thanks, a fistful of journalism awards and some merit citation for citizenship.